Authorities have announced that two individuals have been indicted for burglary following the theft of Banksy’s renowned piece, Girl With Balloon, from a gallery in London.
Larry Fraser, 47, from Beckton in East London, and James Love, 53, from North Stifford in Essex, were formally charged with non-residential burglary on Wednesday, according to the Metropolitan Police.
They made their appearance at Wimbledon Magistrates Court the following day and were granted bail to appear at Kingston Crown Court on 9 October.
The artwork, one of Banksy’s most iconic creations, was unlawfully taken from a gallery situated on New Cavendish Street at approximately 11 PM on Sunday, 8 September.
As indicated in court documents, the print that was taken from the Grove Gallery has an estimated value of £270,000.
After an inquiry conducted by the Metropolitan Police’s flying squad, the painting has since been recovered and will be returned to the gallery, police further stated.
A man takes away a Banksy piece in Peckham, southeast London. Pic: PA
A reproduction of the Banksy artwork at London Zoo after its removal. Pic: AP
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Banksy announced an extraordinary nine artworks in nine days during the summer after they emerged in diverse sites across London.
This street artist typically spaces his creations months apart, but the animal-themed pieces surfaced successively on consecutive days.
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Fifth Banksy mural in his series of animal-themed works, located in Walthamstow, northeast London. Pic: PA
The fourth installment in the collection, a silhouette of a howling wolf illustrated on a satellite dish, was taken just hours after its debut on Rye Lane, Peckham, southeast London.
Individuals donned in balaclavas were observed approaching the rooftop building with a ladder, subsequently climbing up and detaching the dish.
The final piece among the nine images, a gorilla depicted on a shutter at London Zoo, was taken out by staff for reasons of “safe-keeping”.
